After Joey experiences the Esperanza love euphoria for a few days, he decides he MUST see her again - but when he heads up to The Tijeras de Oro to see her - he is met with a horrifying sight!!
Thursday arrives, I have a day off from The Fox Hole, and I cannot wait anymore, I miss her so much. I’m going to go surprise her at the shop. I’ll bring her up those Polaroids I took of the mural, the last night Na-Na and I were there, so she can show ‘em off to the ladies at the shop. Yeah, she’ll like that. I hop off the bus, and practically skip to the bodega at the corner of Broad Street, to buy some Peppermint Patties. Women love expensive chocolate. I head over to the Tijeras de Oro, all dreamy, romantic, and goose bumpy.
A little more than half a block away, and across the street, I spot her outside the shop. Conversing with a guy all dressed in purple, for some reason. I slow down a bit, not wanting to interrupt her, because this guy could be a customer, or something.
As I get a little closer though, I can see the conversation is becoming more animated. More heated. She’s yelling at him, but I can’t hear or understand what she’s saying…and now he’s screaming back, gesturing wildly with his hands. Suddenly, she slaps the dude right in the face! Holy shit! What the hell is going on?! In a split second, she’s flailing away at him, kicking, cussing – then, he grabs her arms, blocking her kicks with his legs. She’s struggling, crying, and shouting. I’m going to kill this motherfucker!! I don’t care who he is. I charge up the street, bristling with fury - but the freaking traffic light turns red now. Damn! It’s rush hour. There’s a crazy, frenetic onslaught of buses and trucks rumbling by me, temporarily blockading my view. C’mon, light – change! I get a slight reprieve, as I briefly spy them again through the barrage of vehicles. He has her face in his hands, forcing his lips upon her! No fucking way! I dart out into the middle of the freeway-like avenue, intent on beating the shit out of him and rescuing my girl. Trucks and taxis lock their brakes, screeching to avoid smashing me into pulp! I duck and juke in and out, between them. She’s squirming madly, trying to fight off his macho advances, as he grabs her by the waist. I’m flushed with rage - a bus swerves, just missing me, as he slams down on his horn. Adrenaline speeds through me, making me feel as I can fly right over all the traffic. Beeping - beeping. All of a sudden, she surrenders her struggle. Gives in. Embracing him, as she throws her arms around his shoulders. Caressing him desperately. They absorb each other, kissing passionately, ferociously. I stop right there. Paralyzed. A tractor-trailer rumbles in front of me, shaking the ground like a freight train. Black toxic exhaust spews from a hundred tail pipes, surrounding me with an impenetrable filthy cloud, choking me, gagging me.
“Mericone!”
“Huevon! Puto!”
“Pendejo! Get the fuck out of the street, asshole!”
The curses, the screams, the screeches, and the horns are beeping in a myriad of varying tones and pitches. All coagulating into a kind of horrific, chaotic, opera of madness.
The next thing I see, is Esperanza and this purple guy retreat into his silver Cadillac, and roar off down the avenue.
